Hushpuppy, an intrepid six-year-old girl, lives with her father, Wink, in the Bathtub, a southern Delta community at the edge of the world. Wink's tough love prepares her for the unraveling of the universe; for a time when he's no longer there to protect her. When Wink contracts a mysterious illness, nature flies out of whack, temperatures rise, and the ice caps melt, unleashing an army of prehistoric creatures called aurochs. With the waters rising, the aurochs coming, and Wink's health fading, Hushpuppy goes in search of her lost mother.

The 65-member film crew included two residents of south Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, where most of the filming took place: Mike Arcenauax, who helped with special equipment (especially boats), and Barbara Dupre in catering.

The film is based on a one-act play called "Juicy and Delicious" by playwright and actress Lucy Alibar, who also makes a cameo appearance in the movie, which she co-wrote with friend and director Benh Zeitlin.

The movie was financed, with a reported budget of $1.3 million, by New York-based nonprofit Cinereach and was the first feature-length project of Court 13 Pictures.

The film was the recipient of two San Francisco Film Society/Kenneth Rainin Foundation grants--first in 2010 and again in 2011.